ANT LIFE. 159 



by Sir John Lubbock. He several times took a queen of 

 the common Yellow Ant and placed her among a number 

 of her own species. They not only refused to recognise 

 her as a queen, but attacked and killed her. 



Probably, on her return to earth, the young queen 

 rejoins the nest, assembles a number of workers, and 

 with their help founds the new colony. At all events, it 

 seems to have been proved that without the assistance of 

 workers young larvse cannot be nourished. 



However this may be, new colonies are formed, and 

 increase with astonishing rapidity, the inmates of a single 

 nest being reckoned by the thousand. 



In such an assemblage as this it is evident that there 

 must be some definite organisation. Even in our common 

 English ants this organising power is manifest, while in 

 many exotic species the discipline is as exact and severe 

 as that of an European army. 



In the first place a strange ant, even of the same 

 species, is never admitted to a nest. Larvae and pupae 

 will be received fld bred up as members of the commu- 

 nity, but perfect insects, whether males, females, or 

 workers, would be attacked and probably killed. 



Now, how do the ants detect a stranger ? 



It is not likely that all the individual ants of a 

 hundred thousand members of a nest should be mutually 

 known. 



Neither do they communicate by some pass-word, as 

 has been suggested. For when larvae and pupae were 

 taken out of one nest and hatched in another, they were 



